Lesser known movie rental recommendation thread
 

Anytime I want to rent a movie, I feel like I've seen every movie that I really think I would want to see (I at least feel this way for movies from 1970 onward; still some older ones that I haven't gotten around to seeing but am working on that).

I figured it might help to have a place for people to recommend movies that it's likely a lot of people may not have seen. Even though I'm sure there will be a lot of recommendations for movies that I've already seen (since I watch a ton of movies), it might help others in finding some stuff to rent, and I'm sure I'll find a few good ideas too.

I'll start off with some that I saw of the lesser known movies (may not all be very obscure) I've rented this year that I enjoyed (not saying these are all great movies, but I enjoyed them enough to recommend them):

Uprising (drama about Jews in the Warsaw ghetto)
Shattered Glass
The Statement (Michael Caine)
Charlotte Gray (Cate Blanchett)
The United States of Leland
You Can Count on Me
Good Bye Lenin (German flick)
The Human Stain (Anthony Hopkins)
City of God (Brazilian flick; it's in Portuguese, but even if you don't like foreign flicks, you MUST give this one a chance; one of the best movies to be made in the past few years; probably not that obscure due to Oscar nominations and positive word of mouth)

love me if you dare
before sunrise / before sunset
wonder boys

Great movie. I think the reason I like it so much is that I'm a journalism major.

Inspiried by events at my alma mater!! Oh wait, that's not something to be proud of...


:crazy:

We Married Margo (good luck finding it)
Grand Theft Parsons (funny)
American Movie (amusing documentary)
Full Time Killer (good Jap action flick)
The Storm Riders (another good Jap action flick)
The Duel (^ Ditto)
Slam

Eh I can't think right now. Maybe more will come to me.

Asta!!

Monster man, its a spoof kind of horror movie. It was straight to video, but it was still funny as hell.

"Visitor Q" and "Happiness of the Katakuris" Directed by Takasi Miike.
"The Princess and the Warrior" with the girl from Run Lola Run.

Roller Blade Warriors. A must see :)

I keep seeing that in the video store and passing it up, deciding to rent it later. Might make that my next rental. Thanks for the rec

The Quiet American
The Station Agent
The Ladykillers (the 1955 original)
American Splendor

Agree with all regarding Shattered Glass.
I also recommend:
The Cooler
21 Grams

Beyond the Mat
Pleasantville - not sure if that's not well known enough
Donnie Darko
Happiness

also a wonderful French film I can't think of the name of! I'll look it up and tell you!

the basic plot is - a professional killer kidnaps a brain damaged girl because he believes she can identify him, but he falls in love with (she is utterly responsive, and only seems to care for chocolate.. he ends up killing his girlfriend to protect her)... its a lot more than that, its v good.

Check out Ping Pong

Confidence. A well done "con" movie.

Awesome movie, but I'm not so sure it's lesser known anymore. Seems like everybody has seen it (now at least), but people still think of it as a hidden jem.

You're probably thinking of
chocolat, right ?

Thanks for all great recommendations, everyone.

Here's some of mine [sorry if they're too mainstream, oh well]
Waking life
L.A. Twister [not sure if it's out on dvd yet]
welcome to the dollhouse

nooo....

its a French (or maybe Spanish) movie... (with subtitbles) the main character is a vicious professional killer, and it would be very difficult to think of his relations with the girl in any other terms than sexual abuse...

Im pretty sure chocolat is a romance film.

Agreed. The Japanese movie intustry has produced some movies of very impressive quality ofer the past 8 or so years. I recently enjoyed Star Runner and The Reaturner, both good examples of decent Japense action movies.

Baraka- it has no words, but is fucking amazing, it is mostly a bunch of stunning visuals.

I don't know if your video store has a documentary section, the one i go to has a very respectable one, and it is in this section where i usually end up. The 7 - up series is interesting. It follows the lives of different people, checking in with them every seven years. I think they just recently made 35-up.

Kid Colter - a movie I saw as a teen. It's about a boy that survives on his own in the wilderness after being chased by killers. (or something to that effect)

I've been wanting to see The Returner! A guy at the movie store in another town told me his friend saw it and really enjoyed it. I'm not familiar with Star Runner though. Perhaps I'll have to keep an eye out for it. Japanaction is just so much fresher than the overproduced, overchoreographed action in american big money hollywood blockbusters.

Asta!!

K-Wise, both Returner and Star Runner are available at MOST Blockbuster Video rental stores. Otherwise, they are available from amazon.com.

BTW, Star Runner: From Daniel Lee, director of Jet Li's Black Mask and The Master Swordsman, comes this visceral boxing action drama starring Vanness Wu from the super hit Taiwanese pop group F4 and Korean superstar Kim Hyun-joo. After a heartbreaking romance, Kim travels to Hong Kong to become a language teacher. One of her students, Bond (Wu), is a boxer whose dream is to compete against his idol, Tank, an untouchable fighter in the world of freestyle boxing. Filled with Lee's trademark visual exuberance, bravura editing, and exciting action sequences.

I didn't believe that Vanness Wu from F4 could act either. He surprised me.

MM movies are my passion :-D
Let's see

Four Rooms - I recently watched this movie, and it has a really cool twist because each of the four room sequences were directed by different people :-D
Life as a House (not sure how obscure..but still beautiful)
Johnny Dangerously - I just find it a pleasant change from all this "bathroom humor" in the new comedy movies
CLERKS _::sigh:: I love Kevin Smith (his OLDER stuff)

Oh..if you are looking for incredibly awesome older movies...I would HIGHLY recommend A Streetcar Named Desire. It is an incredible story and unbelievable acting

Wow...it's sad that I really can't think of anything else right now...I'll sleep on it or something

I loved 'Beyond Rangoon' ~ I am not a Patricia Arquette fan, so it took me a while to get bored enough to watch it.... I was so glad I did. It is very moving and an incredible depiction of post 1988 Burma.

Hear My Song -- great British comedy from about ten years ago. A fun "road" movie with a lot of off-the-wall humor. Not real fast or violent, just a real good time.

The Advocate -- Comedy of manners set in medieval times about an idealistic French lawyer who leaves France to practice in the "peaceful" countryside, and runs into murder, sex, witchcraft, gypsies, international cartels, sex, the plague, and sex (and did I say sex?)

Dreamchild -- surreal semi-bio of Lewis Carrol and the "real" Alice in Wonderland, down with mucho flashbacks, reality bending, and giant horrific muppets. Highly recommended.

More good road pictures: Roadside Saints, Smoke Signals, and (what the hell) Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town, a Troma classic that everybody should see, for some reason.

Wow Star Runner sounds awesome. I'm definitely gonna have to see if I can get this movie. The Returner as well.

Asta!!

Someone mentioned Waking Life. That is an awesome film. It's a cartoon, so you go into it expecting to be entertained. However, aproximately five minutes into it, you will need to restart the movie, as it is so intelligent and complex, you will find yourself completely taken off gaurd. It is more serious and thought-provoking than anything else out there. Be prepared to be impressed. And be prepared to pay attention.

"Before the Rain"

Boondock Saints
Equilibrium
Canniable The musical

Lesser known but some of the best.

I think this may be somewhat mainstream but I really enjoyed
'Searching For Bobby Fischer.' and wouldn't hesitate to reccomend it.

Some lesser known B movies at your local video store which pretty good: Poolhall Junkies & Shade

Another vote for boondock saints. Evidently there's a second movie in the works.

If you like Brit thrillers, get your hands on 28days. Guy wakes up in hospital with the place empty. Eerie to see London totally devoid of life.

Another funny werewolf movie is Dog Soldiers with some great chracter acting. Very true to form with all the typical brit accents and footie fan references. Good one for the weekend with some buddies.

My own private Idaho (River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. Dir. by Gus Van sandt)
Quite a disturbing movie with Phoenix having narcolpepsy where he falls asleep when faced with acute stress. Weird too as a portion of Shakespeare's HenryIV, Part1 is dropped right in the middle of the movie. (Roll up folks, Keanu's other Shakespearean role!) A movie that's guaranteed to leave you feeling much better off about your own fucked-up life. "There, but for the grace of god, go I."

listed in no order as a function of procrastination:

freaks
scent of camphor, fragrance of jasmine
kwaidan
where the wind will take us
wisconsin death trip
wages of fear
le cercle rouge

Tully
Ginger Snaps
Amores Perros

"The Princess and the Warrior" is good, but it isn't as good as "Run Lola Run". On the other hand, "Heaven" (starring Cate Blanchett) is very good, better than Run Lola Run. (All are by the same director). Other movies:

Smiles of a Summer Night
Samurai Fiction
To Have and Have not (first Bogie/Bacall movie)

Saw Heaven a few months ago. Really good. I love Cate Blanchett in anything anyways, but I really enjoyed it.

Strange, I don't think Donnie Darko qualifies. I've heard so many people cream themselves over it that I have an easier time remembering it than movies that I actually WANT to see that are coming out.

Some that aren't so much "lesser known" as just "old and forgotten":

Commando (best one-liners of all time)
Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks is a genius)
Hot Shots Part Deux (not that old, but I never hear people speak of it)

GREAT movie

the remake, Sorcerer, with Roy Scheider is pretty good too (not nearly as good though)

some great recommendations so far (many of which I've seen, some which I've been meaning to see, and some I never heard of). adding some to my netflix queue now

Blazing Saddles old and forgotten? Old maybe... but never forgotten.

"No thank you: fifteen is my limit on schnitzengruben."

Used Cars - Very funny movie. One of Kurt Russel's first I believe.

Student Bodies - Also funny, it spoofs horror movies. Kind of like the Scary Movie series, but much older. You'll never see horse-head-book-ends the same!

Orgasmo - The guys who made South Park made this, but it's much funnier. About a mormon who moves to L.A. and becomes a star in adult movies. Too many extremely funny lines in this one.

Reefer Madness - I dont know exactly how 'obscure' this movie is (hell, That 70's Show spoofed it), but I rarely hear people mention it. If you can get passed the terrible story, and the fact that it wasn't supposed to be humerous, it's actually very funny.

SLC Punk
Pi (If you like the directors style make sure you see Requiem for a Dream)
Kids

Amazon Women On The Moon. It's so random and stupid that I practically crapped myself laughing during the first 5 minutes.

Master of the Flying Guillotine

"A Wedding" (1978) if you like Robert Altman's films. I do. Interesting cast.

"Babbett's Feast" (1987) dir: Gabriel Axel. Well, that's the English title. You need to find a release with subtitles in a language you understand :-)

"Little Shop of Horrors" (1986) Dir: Frank Oz. Some great cameos. Comedy & Musical
Not a heavy film but some very good moments.

"Young Frankenstein" (1974) Dir: Mel Brooks. Someone mentioned "Blazing Saddles"
so this one is fair to list too :-) You might get a laugh from "Space Balls" too.

If you can find them, ALL of Jacques Tati films are worth a look.
http://www.moviemail-online.co.uk/directors/744

I'll stop now. Who cares what I like?

Here are my recomendations: The Emperor and the Assassin, Raise the Red Lantern (both really excellent visually. Chinese films) Ponette (French film), Quills, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Harold and Maude. Oh, and Parents (funny and disturbing. Randy Quaid is great) Just a few of my favorites. :)

And it has Carrie Fisher :thumbsup:

Suckers I think the name of the movie is. Its about the car selling business. Pretty intresting.

another good one I saw last night...

The Quiet American (with Michael Caine)

Also, Maria Full of Grace is out on DVD today. Although I haven't seen it, I know it's supposed to be great, so pick it up if you're looking for something to rent (it's in Spanish)

Bitter Moon - kind of a sadistic movie, but very entertaining. It has Hugh Grant in it, but don't let that distract you. Very weird, very sexy.

Human Nature - a man that's lived in the woods his hole life is discovered by a scientist that attempts to domesticate him. Very funny movie. Tim Robbins is the scientist. Also feature Daryll Hannah.

Again...if you see "We Married Margo" anywhere..on T.V., online, or if by some miracle at a store...check it out. Funny shit.

Asta!!

Maybe you're thinking of Leon (The Professional)?

a few that I never hear people talk about are
May
Suicide Kings
I'd unconditionally reccomend both.

May is cool...almost funny. Is it weird that I found that chick cute? :confused:

Asta!!

3 of the best foreign films I've seen this year:
"Sex and Lucia" (Spanish)
"Abril Despedaçado" (Brazil)
"Y Tu Mama Tambien" (Mexico)

"Abril Despedaçado" is a beautiful little film about 2 farm families who have been fueding for years and years. The other 2 are sexy and sometimes sad.

A couple more:

Maria Full of Grace (I mentioned it above, but hadn't seen it at that point; I watched it and enjoyed it)
The Believer (Ryan Gosling as a Jewish neo-Nazi)

Adventures of Baron Munchausen

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (Clive Owen, Malcom McDowell)

Buffalo '66

My wife's from Buffalo and didn't really appreciate Buffalo '66. I, however, thought it was great. You can't help but laugh at a movie about assassinating a field-goal kicker (don't worry, that's not a spoiler).

Recommendations:

The Reckoning (Willem Dafoe, Brian Cox and Paul Bettany). Excellent medieval thriller piece.
Avalon. Like the Matrix, but with thought and intelligence behind it.
Brazil (better than Munchausen)
Das Experiment. Excellent german film.
Twin Town. Welsh drugdealers vs the world!
Taxi. The original french one. Of course. I'd certainly never recommend an american remake ;)
Tsui Hark's The Blade. Remake of the One Armed Swordsman, but actually good.
Shaolin Soccer*
Zaitochi. Probably Beat Takeshi's finest piece. Watch it.

I'll find more and recommend them. Although, if you've a problem with subtitles, the list is going to get very short.

* Would you believe someone actually asked me what this film was about?

Another vote for The Station Agent.

The Triplets of Belleville--one of the best movies of the year, and an awesome soundtrack.

Maybe too mainstream still but i have always like
The Professional aka Léon. (UK title)
The Road to Wellville great comedy.
Citizen Cain (older and forgotten film by todays standards)

as i said maybe to mainstream still but all great

I was going to reccomend Equilibrium and Boondock Saints, but someone else already did. So Im seconding tat recomendation.

two very awesome movies :thumbsup:

Gangster No. 1 (2000: Paul Bettany, Malcolm McDowell, David Thewlis, Saffron Burrows)
The Stunt Man (1980: Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey, Peter O.Toole)

Saw Returner last night and I enjoyed it. Thought it was pretty good.

What about "The Commitments" ?? I saw that one just the other day too. Enjoyed that one as well.

Asta!!

Just finished watching this a few minutes ago. Really enjoyable movie. I definitely second the recommendation

Cube - independant film (sci-fi?/thriller) I love it, but none of my friends get it.
Salute of the Jugger - Rutger Hauer, Joan Chen - Post apocalyptic gladiatorial sport.
Dog Soldiers - low budget british horror/action. Soldiers and werewolves... cool.

Someone mentioned '28 Days' earlier. I would recommend it too.

Cube is awesome, a mate of mine almost up and died during the 'sound room' sequence, it's the most tense sequence I've ever seen in a film. Cube is simple, and brilliant.

Cube 2 "Hypercube" however is NOT simple and brilliant. Avoid this - its meaningless and crappy.

Other recommendations:
Brazil
City of Lost Children (french)

Lone Star ~ It is a bit disjointed, but a superb whodunit!!
Saving Grace ~ When a middle aged womans husband dies and basically leaves her bankrupt, she decides to start growing and dealing marijuana to save her home. Excellent!!

goodbye lenin was pretty good, although every review had me believing that it would be funnier

triplets of bellville was also good, but i would have liked a few more subtitles to cover the background chatter (since there was no dialogue).

city of god was amazing, loved it

speaking of altman, the player (with tim robbins) is quite good

just watched touch of evil, an older noir with heston as a mexican and orson wells as a sweaty obese cop. i liked it, especially the stunning opening trackings shot.

next i'm going to watch noi, it's icelandic. since iceland is inherently cool, i hope the movie will be too

Scotland, PA - a retelling of Macbeth
The Salton Sea - an amazing drug movie
A Midnight Clear - a great WWII movie

Another thumbs up for Boondock Saints.

Secondhand Lions...have no idea when it came out. It has Michael Caine and Robert Duvall in it. I'd never heard of it when hubby brought it home, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

-- Dream with the Fishes
-- Equilibirum
-- Spirited Away

^ Yeah and I also thought it had pretty kick ass Spoiler: sword fights even though it wasn't that kind of movie. Do you?

Asta!!

yeah, I thought the same thing when I watched it, but also enjoyed it despite that

One I forgot to mention that I saw a couple of weeks ago that was pretty interesting:

How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass

It stars Mario Van Peebles playing his father Melvin Van Peebles as he tries to make his film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which gave birth to the blaxploitation genre.

One pretty funny trivia piece I saw on the IMDB.com page for Sweet Sweetback: "Melvin Van Peebles contracted gonorrhea from one of the actresses during filming of one of the sex scenes in the movie. He applied for compensation from the Directors Guild because he "got hurt on the job" and used the money to buy more film."

julien donkey boy
medea (von trier's version)
wisconsin death trip (highly recommended)

what about

Deathrace 2000, this is nota thinking mans film, but very entertaining none the less

Dirty Work, has a good cast (chevy chase, Artie the fatguy from very old madtv/howard stern, Norm Macdonald and more) another no thinker, just low budget comedy.

PCU, a mid 80s comedy, fairly short but it has George Clinton so it rules

Another one that probably isn't very well known:

Breaking Away (1979: starring Dennis Christopher, a young Dennis Quaid and Daniel Stern, and Jackie Earle Haley (who played the cool motorbike riding kid in Bad News Bears))

Although the movie was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress, Music, and Original Screenplay Oscars (winning for the last one), I don't think it's still kind of obscure. I just saw it for the first time and enjoyed it (although it is a bit dated).

I agree with Saving Grace, one of the funniest films I've seen.

If you are interested in violence try the Japanese, Battle Royale (subtitles). I'm not a huge subtitles fan, however, this movie is f!*k%d up. I don't see any holes in the movie and not knowing asian culture that well makes this even scarier. Not sure if you can rent it, (borrowed DVD from a friend).

so i watched noi, it was pretty good (but not amazing). still, i'd prefer to watch even a bad independent film than a decent mainstream picture.

by the way, here is a book worth a glance
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...04667?v=glance

interesting interview with the author, the la times film critic
http://www.commonwealthclub.org/arch...ran-audio.html

As long as it isn't Battle Royale... or the even more loathsome Battle Royale II.

Pi is a great movie, and I believe everybody should see Plan 9 From Outer Space at least once during their lifetimes.

I'm going to have to agree that Donnie Darko, while great, isn't as much of a "cult" movie as people seem to think. Maybe it's just the people I hang with, but everybody seems to have seen it nowadays...